Bend it like Babu
J. R. SHRIDHARAN
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The gimmicks he does with the ball improves concentration, says Mani Babu.
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The ball and me: Mani Babu
A die-hard footballer, 18-year-old K. Mani Babu, a Vijayawada player attached to Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh football Academy in Hyderabad, was the cynosure of the eyes at Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium as he juggled the ball. He was a picture of concentration as he unleashed his jugglery act much to the amusement of scores of children at the football camp. In fact, these acts are the favourite past time for many footballers worldwide. One feat thrilled everyone as
it not only required accuracy and but also the balancing ability.
Ingenius
Mani used both his feet to bring the ball on to his neck and later removed his T-shirt. The final touch was when he wore the T-shirt back with the ball firmly ensconced on the neck as if it was glued to the skin. “I learnt this trick from my football friend Srinivas of Vizag. These gimmicks help me improve my concentration,” says Mani Babu, who is playing the game for the past 14 years.
Incidentally, he ekes out his living by taking manual work during his spare time.
He had represented Andhra Pradesh in u-17, u-14 National championships.
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